1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to amphibious vehicles and more particularly relates to an assault amphibious vehicle driven by a pair of water jet propulsion modules each connected between a support arm and a hydrofoil and movable between a stowed position preferably over the top of the vehicle, and a lowered position with the hydrofoils and propulsion modules submerged in water and capable of propelling the vehicle faster than at least 20 miles per hour.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Assignee's U.S. Samuel Pat. No. 3,420,204 discloses a water jet reactive propulsion system which is capable of propelling tracked amphibious vehicle through water at slow speeds of about ten miles per hour.
U.S. Rodler Jr. Pat. Nos. 3,809,005 and 4,073,257 disclose two versions of water jet propulsion systems wherein the water intake ducts and the water discharge ducts are connected by passages that require two 180.degree. reversals of direction of the propulsion water.
The major disadvantages of the prior art water jets are their relative low propulsion efficiencies due in part to angular changes in direction of the water flow through the prior art systems.